SAN ANTONIO – An Arctic air mass continues to sink into the San Antonio area, and afternoon highs are struggling to get above the freezing point for most locations.
Early Friday morning, the temperature at San Antonio International fell to 29 degrees, with the wind chill bottoming out at 17 degrees. So far, the high has only topped 33 degrees, just above the freezing point.
For tonight, high pressure will continue to settle in and the winds will slow down. In addition, the clouds will begin to move out and set the stage for excellent radiational cooling and a hard freeze. In San Antonio, we’ll bottom out at 24 degrees. For those in the Hill Country, expect temperatures to be in the teens by the early morning hours.
Remember to protect sensitive vegetation and provide some means of warmth to outdoor pets, so that they may beat the cold.
Saturday will be very nice and sunny, but will still be on the chilly side, with a high only in the mid-40s. Outdoor plans will likely include jackets and sweaters to keep warm.
Another hard freeze is in store for Saturday night, as winds lighten further and radiational cooling takes place again. This will allow temperatures to dip into the teens and 20s once more.
On Sunday afternoon, there will be a few extra clouds, but it will remain mostly sunny and with highs in the upper 40s.
Going into next week, we’ll get return flow back in the area and this will promote warming temperatures. A good mixture of clouds and sun will take over and highs will rocket back into the 70s.